“Zhong Qing, don’t scare my Yaozu like that!”
Liu Yaozu, who had just been frightened by Zhong Qing’s words, straightened up immediately when he heard the familiar voice.
Zhao Xiulan barged in, fussing and shouting. She turned to the teacher: “Teacher Fang, you know my Yaozu is a good kid. He never lies or cheats. And if Pei Leyan really didn’t do anything, why would my Yaozu only say it was him and not anyone else?”
Zhong Qing couldn’t help but feel amused at the audacity.
“What a rogue logic! Then why don’t you clearly tell me—what exactly did my child steal, when, and where? Make it all crystal clear!”
Teacher Fang was already exhausted from the children’s arguing, and now the parents were no better.
Zhao Xiulan needed no introduction, and Zhong Qing’s notorious reputation preceded her.
Teacher Fang felt like her head was about to split in two.
“Both parents, please calm down and listen to me first.”
Zhong Qing was there to support her child, not to act as a bully. Naturally, she complied when the teacher spoke.
Zhao Xiulan still wanted to argue, but under Teacher Fang’s gaze, she finally held back, muttering stubbornly: “I’m just giving Teacher Fang some face.”
Teacher Fang sighed. “Here’s what happened: Liu Yaozu noticed his fountain pen was missing and suspected Pei Leyan because only the two of them were in the classroom at the time. But don’t worry—our staff noticed in time, so this incident didn’t spread.”
Zhao Xiulan sneered. “Honestly, this should be made known to everyone! My Yaozu’s report was fair, but some people… are probably feeling guilty!”
“I didn’t!” Pei Leyan interjected anxiously.
Zhao Xiulan clicked her tongue and said, “Oh, Teacher Fang, look at this little brat’s eyes! You’d think he wanted to tear me apart!”
As the saying goes, a crooked beam makes a crooked house. If Pei Leyan could claim his own mother sold him, then stealing a classmate’s pen shouldn’t be impossible, right?
Zhong Qing shot her a sharp look, and Zhao Xiulan abruptly fell silent.
The voice cut off halfway, and only then did she realize it—she had actually been scared by Zhong Qing’s glare.
Zhong Qing gently squeezed Pei Leyan’s shoulder, reassuring him.
“Zhao Sao, our family matters aren’t for you to worry about. But your false accusations… haven’t been addressed yet, have they? As they say, a crooked beam makes a crooked house…”
Her sharp gaze fell on Liu Yaozu. “If you insist that Xiao An stole your pen, then to avoid you and your mother getting into legal trouble for slander, you need to tell everything you know, exactly as it happened.”
Zhao Xiulan’s confidence faltered, and even Liu Yaozu looked a little guilty.
He huddled behind his mother, stammering, “When I entered the classroom, I noticed my pen was gone! My dad brought it back for me from Shanghai, and everyone in class knew! Pei Leyan must have been jealous, so he tried to steal it when no one was around. I just happened to see him!”
The more Liu Yaozu spoke, the more he felt justified, and his voice grew louder.
Pei Leyan looked anxiously at Zhong Qing.
Would she, who had never liked him, not believe him either?
“I… I only glanced at it when Liu Yaozu took out the pen, but lots of classmates were looking too! I didn’t… I really didn’t steal it!”
Liu Yaozu immediately shot back, “If you didn’t steal it, then why were you looking?”
Pei Leyan froze.
Zhong Qing’s gaze darkened. She held Pei Leyan’s hand tightly: “So because others saw it, it’s not stealing, but if Xiao An glanced, he must be stealing?”
Before she finished, Pei Leyan lifted his head, as if determined, and shouted through tears, “If you hadn’t said it came from Shanghai, who would care about your pen!”
The office fell completely silent, leaving only Pei Leyan’s sobs.
Everyone knew—besides this temporarily missing fountain pen, what else in the compound could be connected to Shanghai?
If it wasn’t the living, breathing Zhong Qing herself, what else could it be?
Zhong Qing felt as if Pei Leyan’s words had struck her heart hard.
Pei Leyan, however, turned away, unwilling to meet her gaze, holding back his tears.
It just so happened that when Liu Yaozu was showing off the pen, Zhong Qing had left with Xiao Yu.
And coincidentally, the pen had come from Shanghai.
So when he heard it was from Shanghai, he instinctively glanced a little longer.
Zhong Qing took a deep breath and gently pulled Pei Leyan into her arms, shielding him.
“Since that’s the case, Xiao An definitely didn’t steal it. What you just said is all speculation. Did you actually see Xiao An take your pen?”
Zhao Xiulan snapped, “How could it be impossible? You were once a wealthy young lady from Shanghai, sure, but now you’re no different from us, right? You’re even stingy about paying school fees—are you really going to buy him a pen?”
Zhong Qing frowned.
What did school fees have to do with this?
Teacher Fang awkwardly said, “Parents of Xiao An and Yaozu, the school fee matter we can discuss separately. The key now is finding the pen.”
She was right.
As long as they found the pen, Xiao An’s innocence would be clear.
Zhong Qing calmed herself. “Xiao An wouldn’t steal. Based on Liu Yaozu’s story, since he showed off the pen, it’s probably still in the classroom. I think we should look there first.”
Zhao Xiulan sneered, “Yes, but first, check Pei Leyan’s backpack!”
Teacher Fang’s forehead throbbed. She quickly interrupted: “I’ll have someone search the classroom now. Please, parents, be patient. We’ll deal with it once we have results.”
The classroom was full of children, all with wandering eyes. Without supervision, searching would be chaotic.
Following Zhao Xiulan’s idea, even if Xiao An hadn’t stolen anything, he would still face suspicion.
Xiao An was already pitiful enough.
If not for that, Teacher Fang wouldn’t have shouldered so much, letting the school fee issue drag on this long.
Even as Teacher Fang stepped away, Zhong Qing’s mind remained unsettled.
The earlier mention of school fees made her feel she had forgotten something very important.
Time waiting always felt especially long.
Zhao Xiulan seemed already convinced that Xiao An had stolen the pen.
“If Xiao An liked the pen, my Yaozu wouldn’t have been so stingy. You could have asked to look at it more, but even if it’s cheap, that’s no reason to steal!”
No sooner had she spoken than the office door suddenly burst open—